Game apparatus for simulating skiing



Sept. 20, 1966 R. BRASS ETAL 3,

GAME APPARATUS FOR SIMULATING SKIING Original Filed Dec. 6, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet l RL. BRASS INVENTORS. A. [FE/IVER A TTORNEV Sept. 20, 1966 R. L. BRASS ETAL 3,2 73,889

GAME APPARATUS FOR SIMULAIING SKIING Original Filed Dec. 6, 1961 5 $heets-Sheet 2 R.L. BRASS M/VEA/TORS: AFE/NER %@.Q& ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1966 I R. L. BRASS ETAL GAME APPARATUS FOR SIMULATING SKIING 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Dec. 6, 1961 FIG. 4

R.L. BRASS INVENTORS. A. FENER ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,273,889 Patented Sept. 20, 1966 3,273,889 GAME APPARATUS FOR SIMULATHNG SKIHNG Robert L. Brass, Colts Neck, and Alexander Feiner, Holmdel, N..l., assignors to Orhicon, Ltd, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Original application Dec. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 157,354, now Patent No. 3,159,400, dated Dec. ll, 1964. Divided and this application Apr. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 358,327 Clairns. (Cl. 273-1) This application is a division of our application Serial No. 157,354, filed December 6, 1961, now Patent No. 3,159,400.

This invention relates to amusement apparatus, games, or training devices and, more particularly, to such in which the player or participant tests his skill at skiing.

In many types of games or simulated testing or train ing equipments, there is an attempt to provide, under hand control, a rough approximation of some of the con ditions of the actual event. In certain driving and steering games there is a somewhat greater degree of simulation. However, in each of these types of games or train ing devices there is a direct control or coupling between the player or operator and some element being controlled; almost invariably this control is manual, as by manipulation of a wheel, knob, or lever.

Skiing, which has recently been undergoing a great surge of new interest in this country, cannot be simulated by a game along the lines of these prior devices. This is particularly true because the actual control of the skis is due to movement of the skiers body and rotation of his legs so that a manual control would be only a poor simulation of actual skiing and a direct manipulative control would not be at all representative of actual skiing conditions.

In this country two types of skiing have become quite popular. The more traditional skiing is, of course, done on snow covered slopes and generally involves a downhill run. One of the more popular tests of skill is slaloming, which tests both the skiers speed and dexterity. A newer type of skiing is water skiing in which the skier, standing on water skis, is pulled behind a motor boat. One test of skill in water skiing is to direct oneself to an inclined jump over which the skier is pulled, then landing again on the water. In both types of skiing the control of the direction of the skis is obtained by leg and body rotation and this control is effected directly. By rotating his legs the skier changes the angle of the skis with respect to his direction of motion, whether that motion be due to his sliding downhill or due to the boat, behind which he is being pulled.

In the above identified patent a game simulating down hill skiing is described. Various aspects of the control mechanisms employed in our present invention are the same as those described in the patent and are therefore not repeated herein. Accordingly, reference may be made to the patent, incorporated herein by reference, for these various common aspects.

It is an object of our present invention to provide a skiing game or training device in which there is an accurate simulation of skiing and more specifically of water skiing.

Other objects of our invention include a ski game where in the control exercised by the player is of the same nature as that exercised in actual water skiing and wherein the nature of the problem presented to the player by the game closely approximates one of the forms of skiing competition or one of the tests of skiing ability.

In one specific illustrative embodiment of our invention, the participan-ts skill at water skiing is tested. In this embodiment a ski model is positioned on an endless moving surface and the control of the position of the ski model is determined by a triple parallel linkage con trolled by the rotation of the players feet, as in actual water skiing. In this embodiment the cross arm of the parallel linkage to which the skier is attached is itself subject to an oscillatory motion, representing the somewhat unpredictable motion of the boat behind which the water skier is being pulled.

Further, the test of the water s-kiers skill in this game is his ability to position the skier model so as to pass over a number of unevenly positioned jumps or raised portions of the endless surface. By an electrical switch actuated by the parallel arms attached to the ski models arms, the change in angle of these parallel arms relative to the cross arms of the linkage on a change of angle of the skis, due to the ski model going over the jump, is sensed and counted on a register. The total number of successful jumps is then a measure of the skiers skill. The speed of motion of the moving surface may be changed to accommodate different degrees of skill. Obviously, the faster the surface movement for the timed interval of play the more successful jumps will be possible and the higher the score, assuming a player is allowed a predetermined time of play.

Various embodiments of our invention may advantageously be coin operated, as is known in the art.

It is a feature of our invention that a ski game or training apparatus include a movable endless surface on which an elongated strip support member is positioned and controlled as to its angular position with respect to the direction of motion of the movable surface.

It is another feature of our invention that the endless surface and the under surface of the elongated strip be such as to provide easier motion in the direction of the elongated strip than perpendicular thereto. Specifically in certain embodiments of our invention the surface of the moving belt is such as to provide different degrees of friction or resistance to motion of the elongated strip dependent on the angular position of the strip on the surface relative to the motion of the surface. More specifically in accordance with this feature of our invention and in certain embodiments thereof, the surface of the endless belt or movable surface may be provided by a deep-pile-like member, such as carpeting or a rug-like body.

It is another feature of our invention that the elongated strip member be connected to a mechanical linkage affording an indirect control of the position of the elongated strip member and enabling more than one degree of freedom of motion of the elongated strip member so as to enable control of the angular position of the strip member on the moving surface.

It is still another feature of this invention that the mechanical linkage include an intermediate coupling member, interconnecting a first linkage to which the elongated strip member is connected and a second linkage to which the players control is applied. More specifically, in one specific embodiment of our invention, it is a feature that the mechanical linkage comprise a double paral lel linkage including two cross-coupled parallelogram-is or four-bar linkages.

It is still another feature of this invention that the mechanical linkage be controlled remotely and specifically in certain embodiments by the rotation of ski-like elements on which the players feet are positioned, the control thus being by the skiers feet in a manner similar to that of controlling actual skis.

Further features of one specific embodiment wherein Water skiing is simulated include providing the inner cross member or coupling member of the parallel linkage with a degree of motion of its own; providing that such motion be oscillatory; providing that the surface of the endless belt have periodic raised narrow sloping portions defining jumps over which the skier model is to go; providing a switch closed by the parallel arms of the inner linkage for detecting the angular variation in the position of the parallel arms when the skier model ascends the jump; registering such closure of the switch; and providing the skier models arm-s and feet with sufficient freedom of motion to allow for both the jumps and the sidewise movement of the skier model across the endless belt.

A complete understanding of these and other advantageous objects and features of our invention may be gained from consideration of the following detailed description, together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a specific embodiment of our invention comprising a device for simulating water skiing;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the control mechanism, including particularly a triple parallel linkage for the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B depict details of the ski model and the parallel arms for allowing the model to ascend the jumps and for detecting such ascension of the jumps; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the linkage cross-coupling member of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Turning now to the drawing, there is depicted one specific embodiment of our invention wherein a game or training apparatus simulates water skiing. As various of the elements are the same as or similar to those described in the patent with reference to the slalom ski game therein set forth, we shall mainly discuss for this embodiment those elements and aspects unique to it. Similarly, a control circuit of the type described in the patent may be employed except that the manner of scoring used is different, as set forth hereinafter; see particularly FIG. 5 of Patent 3,159,400 and column 9, line 13 et seq. thereof.

In this embodiment a ski model positioned on an elongated ski support member 125 is attached by the parallel arms 126 and 127 of a four-bar parallelogram linkage to a first cross-coupling member 128. The elongated support member 125 is positioned on an endless belt 130 advantageously having a deep rug-like pile so that the surfaces of the belt 130 and the support member 125 provide the desired preferred degree of motion in the direction of motion of the belt .130, indicated by the arrow 131, rather than across the belt. In water skiing the skier does not have the same degree of edge control as in down hill snow skiing, described in the patent. We have found, however, that the desired frictional differences depending on the angle of the ski support member 125 to the belts motion can be obtained by providing that the under surface of the elongated support member 125 is of Teflon.

The player stands on the control platform-s 133, 134 and has an indirect control, by movement of his body, over the angular position of the elongated ski support member 125. Handles 123 are mounted on the housing 124, which may be in the form of a boat. The handles 123 merely help the player feel that he is being pulled behind behind the boat and serve no control purpose. In water skiing, however, the skier has to accommodate himself to the occasional erratic movement of the boat behind which he is being pulled. In accordance with an aspect of our invention in this embodiment thereof this is also simulated, as best seen in FIG. 2. The parallel arms 126, 127, which represent the ropes to which a Water skier holds, appear to come from the stern of a boat 135. Boat element 135 has mounted on it the cross-coupling member 128 which is, however, free to rotate about a pivot 1'36 .aflixed to the boat element 135. Considering only the boat element 135 for the moment and apart from the indirect control exercised by the player through the mul tiple parallel-bar linkage including the cross-coupling member 123, it can be seen that the boat element 135 is itself pivoted about an axis defined by pin 137. About this axis the stern of the boat element 135 is given an oscillatory motion by rotation of the cam or Wheel 1138 to which is eccentrically connected, as at point 131, a a wire 144 connected to the boat element at point and, by means of a spring 14 1, to the supporting frame 142 at point .143; the cam 138 is driven by the motor driving the belt 130. It is, therefore, apparent that the eccentric path of the point 139 and the action of the spring 141 cause the stern of the boat element 135 to move across the end of the belt 130.

The rotation of the control platforms 133, 134 is transmitted, as by selsyn motors as explained in the patent (see particularly FIGS. 2A2C of Patent 3,159,400 and column 8, line 11 et seq. thereof), to the bar 145, which is rotatably mounted on the supporting frame 142. While bar 145 is depicted as a circular member it is to be understood that the effective bar in the four bar linkage is defined by the line between the points of attachment of the parallel arms or rods 146, 147 to the circular member 145. As this linkage is generally referred to as a fourbar or parallelogram linkage, the member 145 and the various other cross-coupling elements will be referred to herein in terms of the effective bars they defined.

The other ends of the arms or rods 1 46, 147 are attached to an effective bar of a freely moving cross-coupling member 14 9. Also attached to member 149 are ends of arms or rods 150, 151 so positioned that the effective bar between them is perpendicular to the effective bar between arms 146, 147. The other ends of the arms 150, 151 are attached to the rotatable cross-coupling member 128, described above.

It is, therefore, apparent that the indirect control link rage of this embodiment includes three parallelogram linkages interconnected by a pair of cross-coupling members. Further, the cross-coupling member 128 which is part of the linkage including the ski support member 125 has a further motion imposed upon it by the oscillatory motion imparted to it by the wheel 138. As the manner of control is analogous to that described in the patent, the various positions of the control linkage will not be described at this time. However, as the ski model including support member 125 provides a bar of the four-bar linkage, the arms of the skier must be free to pivot or rotate in a horizontal plane, as described further below with reference to FIG. 3.

In water skiing one measure of a skiers skill is his ability to direct himself over jumps. This is also utilized in this embodiment of our invention as a test of a players skiing skill. To that purpose small inclined jumps 153, which may be defined by V-shaped spring metal elements, are positioned on the moving belt 130; the rollers around which the belt 130 moves may provide suflicient clearance for the jumps 153 or the spring metal may be depressed when the belt carries them away from the playing area. By shifting his weight, through the indirect mechanical linkage described above, the player has to control the angle of the ski support 125 so that the varying friction between the belt 130 and the ski support 125 directs the ski support 125 over the jumps 153 in succession.

Scoring is determined, in this embodiment, by counting the number of successful jumps, as indicated on a register 154, within the allotted time, which may be shown on a .timer 155. The player, depending on his skill, may also set the speed of the belt 130, thereby effectively controlling the speed of the boat behind which he is being pulled, by a speed control knob 156. The circuitry involved in these elements may be similar to that described in the patent. However, the manner of registering the successful passage of the skier over a jump 153 in accordance with another aspect of our invention can be best understood with reference to FlGS. 3 and 4.

In FIG. 4 there is depicted an enlarged view of the cross-coupling element 128 which is mounted, as by pivot 136, on the boat element 135. The parallel arms 126, 127 are connected to a cross member 158 by pivots 159,

160 so that the arms 126, 127 can move horizontally during the normal operation of the four-bar parallelogram linkage defined by member 15 8, arms 126, 127, and the ski model including support member 125. At the same time .the member 158 is itself mounted by pins 162, 163 for rotation; the pins 162, 163 extend through or into side pieces 164 mounted, as from an integral plate 165, on the cross-coupling element 128. A finger 167 extends from the member 158; this finger serves two purposes: (1) it carries the plunger 163 of a dashpot 169 for damping the motion of the ski support 125 dur ing jumps, as described below, and (2) it carries a contact 170 which mates with a contact 171 on a finger 172 extending up from the member 128. Each closure of the contacts 170, 171 closes an electrical circuit between leads 173, 174 which in turn effects the registration, by register 154, of a successful jump. It may be noted that this registering, circuit, which is not depicted but may take any of a number of forms known in the art, is energized after each jump, that is, on the return of the ski support member 125 to its normal position on the belt 130. The fingers 167, 172 are, of course, suitably insulated from each other.

The dashpot 169 advantageously includes a one-way valve 176, seen in FIG. 3, in the plunger piston 177 so that the piston may be rapidly depressed into the dashpot cylinder, with the valve open, but returns more slowly, with the valve closed.

The operation of the dashpot and contacts can be also seen in FIG. 3. FIG. 3A depicts the ski model 1811 positioned on the skis 125 and pivoted at his toes 181 with a spring 182 connected between his legs and the skis 125 to tend to keep the skier in an upright position. The parallel arms 126, 127 are connected to the skier arms 183 which, as described above, are free to pivot horizontally but which cannot move in a vertical direction. As seen in FIG. 3A, when the skier is on the flat portion of the belt 130', the contacts 170, 171 are closed. However, as seen in FIG. 3B, when the skier goes up one of the jumps or ramps 153, the skier must lean forward, against the pull of the spring 182, as the angle between the parallel arms 126, 127 (or his arms 183) and his body must remain constant. At the same time the rods are lifted up, rotating the member 158, FIG. 4, thereby opening the contacts 170, 171 and depressing the plunger 168 and piston 177 into the dashpot 169.

While specific illustrative embodiments of our invention have been depicted and described, it is to be understood that they are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of our invention and that various modifications and other improvements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A game comprising an endless moving surface, an elongated member positioned on said surface, means including at least one of said surface and said elongated member for causing said member to be subjected to a varying amount of frictional resistance depending on the direction of motion of said member relative to the direction of motion of said surface, a control element, indirect mechanical linkage means coupling said control element to said elongated member and including at least one cross-coupling member, and means for imparting to said cross-coupling member a motion independent of said control element.

2. A ski-game comprising an endless moving belt having a plurality of ramps positioned thereon, means for moving said belt, a flat elongated ski member positioned on said belt, means for establishing that said ski member is subject to less resistance to motion in the direction of the elongated axis of said ski member than across the direction of said elongated axis, means for member across said belt and up said ramps, and means for registering each traversal of a ramp by said elongated ski member.

3. A ski-game in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means for varying the angular position of said ski member on said belt includes an indirect mechanical linkage including at least one cross-coupling member.

4. A ski-game in accordance with claim. 3 further comprising means for imparting an independent motion to said cross-coupling member.

5. A ski-game in accordance with claim 4 wherein said mechanical linkage further comprises a first four-bar parallelogram linkage, means on said elongated ski member constituting one bar of said first linkage, a second fourbar parallelogram linkage, said first and said second linkages being coupled by said one cross-coupling member, a third four-bar parallelogram linkage coupled to said second linkage by a second cross-coupling member, and control means for driving one bar of said third linkage.

6. A ski-game in accordance with claim 5, said position varying means further comprising means responsive to movement of the players feet for establishing the posi tion of said control means.

7. A ski-game comprising an endless moving belt, an elongated ski member positioned on said belt, said belt having a plurality of ramps thereon over which said ski member is to be directed, said belt and said member in combination causing said member to be subject to less resistance to motion in the direction of the elongated axis of said member than across the direction of said elongated axis, means for establishing the angular position of said member on said belt and for varying said angular position to move said member across said belt and up said ramps, said establishing means including an indirect mechanical linkage including a cross-coupling member and a control element to which said linkage is connected, means connected to said cross-coupling member and independent of said control element for imparting motion to said crosscoupling member, and means for registering each traversal of a ramp by said ski member.

8. A ski-game in accordance with claim 7 further including damping means for delaying the return of said elongated ski member to said belt upon passage over one of said ramps.

9. A ski-game in accordance with claim 8 wherein said registering means includes electrical contact means responsive to motion of said linkage on traversal of a ramp.

10. A ski-game in accordance with claim 9 wherein said indirect mechanical linkage includes at least a pair of four-bar parallel linkages, means on said elongated ski member, a pair of parallel arms, and said cross-coupling member constituting one of said four-bar linkages, and said cross-coupling member including an element rotatably movable in response to vertical motion of said parallel arms and a finger carried by said movable element, said electrical contact means including a contact connected to said finger and said damping means eing connected to said finger.

FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1921 Germany. 6/1956 Italy.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

G. L. PRICE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GAME COMPRISING AN ENDLESS MOVING SURFACE, AN ELONGATED MEMBER POSITIONED ON SAID SURFACE, MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SURFACE AND SAID ELONGATED MEMBER FOR CAUSING SAID MEMBER TO BE SUBJECTED TO A VARYING AMOUNT OF FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE DEPENDING ON THE DIRECTION OF MOTION OF SAID MEMBER RELATIVE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOTION OF SAID SURFACE, A CONTROL ELEMENT, 